Kennedy Cougars

Dear Kennedy Families and Caregivers,

Lots going on at Kennedy this week. Our 8th grade dance was a HUGE HIT! Thank you to the PTO for all the yummy treats. Thank you to the KMS Peer Leaders for decorating the event. Thank you to the staff who chaperoned the event. And, THANK YOU, to the 8th grade class for bringing the fun and smiles all night. (see pics below)

Kennedy bands took to the stage for a packed audience. The performances were amazing! Check out the pics below. Great work to the musicians, Mr. Drapeau, and Ms. Rottman!

See below for the remainder of the schedule for the 8th graders leading up to the promotional ceremony. We are EXCITED to finish this year strong!

Check out the calendar section below for all the latest dates for grade level field days, field trips, etc.

A note from the Kennedy Clinic:

June 2023: Instructions for Picking Up Your Student's Medication

If your student has medication stored in the Kennedy MS Health Clinic, a parent/guardian must pick up the medication before the closing bell on the last day of school on Thursday, June 15th. Appointments are not necessary and you may come in during school hours the last week of school to get their medication (June 12 - 15).

**Any medication not picked up by the closing bell on June 15th will be destroyed per NPS policy.**

Medication DROP-OFF Information for School Year 2023-2024

Medication drop-off at Kennedy MS for next school year begins Monday, August 28, 2023 and is by appointment only. A Sign-Up Genius link will be posted August 21, 2023 and you may sign-up at that time. Please check the KMS website for the Sign-Up Genius and required medication forms (under School Information > Parent Resources > Health Services > Current Clinic Info).

Please email/call your school nurse with any questions about medication pick-up or drop-off! Email: kennedynurses@natickps.org or phone: 508-647-6652.

A note from the technology office:

Dear Students and Parents,

As we look toward summer academic needs and for planning purposes for the next school year, we have reopened the payment portal in MySchoolBucks to make your Annual Technology Fee payment(s) online for the 2023/2024 school year.

Later this summer, when you are notified that your student’s Chromebook is ready for pickup, proof of payment is required before your student can receive their device.

For 5th through 12th grade students at NPS, the annual student Chromebook fee for the 2023/2024 school year is $50, with a family cap of $100. Proof of payment is required at pickup.

Payments can be made electronically at: http://myschoolbucks.com or checks (made out to Natick Public Schools) mailed along with this payment form to your school, Attn: Annual Laptop/Chromebook Fee. By completing this transaction, you are accepting our Responsible Use Policy.

As detailed in the Responsible Use Policy, students are not allowed to bring in personally owned computers for school use.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO MAKE A PAYMENT.

NHS 1:1 Student Laptop Program Information
(including: Annual Fee, Forms, Laptop Agreement, & Acceptable Use Policy)
is available on the District website.

Please click here to be redirected.

If you are anticipating applying for Financial Assistance please do so prior to pick up. It takes several days for us to get the report which states who is approved for Assistance for the Laptop Fee. Please plan accordingly.

If you have questions, please contact:

Parent Support at:

parentsupport@natickps.incidentiq.com or 508-647-6400 ext. 5555

Announcements from our KMS librarian, Miss Murphy:

Calling all library books!

Miss Murphy would love to have all overdue KMS library books returned as soon as possible!

We currently have over 450 titles overdue and we need your help getting back as many as we can.

Backpacks, under beds, sports bags, and personal bookshelves are often where lost books are found.

We appreciate any help you can provide to make sure these books find their way home!

Summer Checkout at the KMS library!

Summer is coming! It is time to stock up on summer reads!

Our KMS library has tons of great titles to get you

through the dog days of summer!

Click HERE for the permission slip to borrow books over the summer.

Print and return by Monday, June 12th.

Hard copies available in the library!

Natick Summer Learning Course Descriptions:

Here is the link to the Natick Summer Learning Enrichment Course Descriptions. Check it out!

Here is the 2023 Middle School Summer Reading Document:

The PTO is pleased to partner again with Wellesley Books for Summer Reading Books. The online bookstore links will be available from Friday, May 19 until Wednesday, May 31st; during this timeframe, 20% will go to supporting the two schools’ PTOs. All books will be available at Wellesley Books after this for families to buy.

Please access this link to order through the PTO: https://www.wellesleybooks.com/kennedy-wilson-2023-summer-reading-book-fair

Families can specify on the website if they would like to purchase in-store; if so, they will receive a printable voucher that can be brought to Wellesley Books to contribute to the PTO. The donation at Wellesley Books is based on summer reading titles only.

Grade 8 Activities:

Updated letters were sent out via school messenger to 8th grade families this week with information about the end of the year programming for 8th grade. In case you missed it, here is the list of activities we have planned for our amazing 8th grade students:

*** Monday, June 13th: 8th grade Field Day at Cole Center, Natick:

(Date changed due to weather forecast for Tuesday)

8th grade teams will spend the day at Cole Fields participating in games and team building activities.

Tuesday, June 13th: Laptop & Library Book Collection:

Students must return their Chromebook and charger as well as any school library books.

***Wednesday, June 14th: Promotional Ceremonies at Kennedy Middle School -

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TIME HAS FLIPPED FROM PREVIOUS COMMUNICATION FOR THESE TEAMS WALKING FOR CEREMONY. PLEASE ADJUST YOUR CALENDARS ACCORDINGLY.

• 8:15 am- 9:00 am -Teams Endeavor (Miller, Prince) and Discover (Alagappan, Dion, Raider, Posklensky)

• 9:30 am-10:15 am - Team Inspire (Joyce, Forest, Gallivan, Rogers)

• 10:15am - Gathering for all 8th grade students and families together on the front lawn (optional). Teams in the first ceremony may wait outside with families until the second ceremony finishes where the entire grade will be united.

Thursday, June 15th: 8th Grade Breakfast and Celebration:

Breakfast celebration provided by KMS Food Services, student throwback video presentation in the auditorium, yearbook signing event on the front lawn (weather permitting), and traditional “Clap Out” for 8th graders through Kennedy Hallways.

Natick Instrument Showcase at Natick High School

The Natick Music Department will be hosting our next Instrument Showcase for students interested in joining band or orchestra on Tuesday, June 13th from 5:00-7:00 PM at NHS. (See graphic below)

Positivity Project News

Dear Families,

This week our school community will be focusing on a review of the 24 character strengths and the Other People Mindset.

Over the course of this year, we have gained an understanding and appreciation of the 24 character strengths that are in all of us. Every 1-2 weeks we learned about a different character strength or Other People Mindset element. This knowledge has helped us build strong relationships with other people and become our best selves. People who have strong positive relationships do five things consistently - these are the five practices of the Other People Mindset. 1. Recognize the good in other people, 2. Recognize that everything you say or do affects other people, 3. Support others when they struggle, 4. Cheer people on when they succeed, 5. Remain present when giving people your attention. People who have a strong Other People Mindset are able to build and maintain strong, positive relationships with others.

This year, by deliberately and consistently teaching students that relationships are important — and that positive relationships are cultivated through character and the Other People Mindset — our school community has experienced firsthand how positive relationships help us become happier, healthier, and more resilient.

To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

Have a wonderful week!

Regards,

Jodie Cohen, Principal

"Be the change in the world you want to see."

~Gandhi

Twitter - @KennedyMSNatick

Instagram - @KennedyMSNatick

#weR1Kennedy

#hearusROAR

#KennedyStrong

#cougarpride
#positivityinaction

1 - Upcoming Events:

• June 12, Monday - Grade 8 Field
• June 14, Wednesday - Grade 6 Field Day
• June 14, Wednesday - Grade 7 Field trip to Dug Pond
• June 14 - 8th grade promotional ceremony, 8:15 - 10:15
• June 15 - 8th grade breakfast
• June 15 - Last day of school. Early release all schools! 11:30 dismissal

2 - Grade 8 to 9 Transition to Natick High School Timeline

Here is the link to the Grade 8 to 9 Transition Timeline.

3 - From the Nurses Health Clinic:

If your student tests positive for Covid-19, they must stay home for 5 days. The day they started symptoms is Day 0, the next day is Day 1, then Day 2, etc. They may return to school on Day 6 and must wear a mask for an additional 5 days. A headache, scratchy throat, congestion/runny nose, cough, and/or fever are some of the more common symptoms of Covid-19.

Siblings and close contacts do not need to quarantine and can come to school as long as they are not having symptoms of illness. However, they must wear a mask for 10 days when around others following exposure.

Click for more information from the Massachusetts DPH: Covid-19 Isolation and Exposure Guidance

4 - Information notification letters about math placement

For information about the math placement process, please see the letters below.

22-23 6th to 7th opening placement letter

22-23 7th to 8th opening placement letter

Natick Public Schools is excited to announce our partnership with Paper for on-demand tutoring for NHS students. Paper is a secure, online tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions to their essays, there will always be experts available online to assist students in over 200 subjects and more than 4 languages.

Paper tutors have been specially trained to conduct expert, academic support in a secure, chat-based platform. With a commitment to helping students learn, they’ll never give students answers, but rather interact with them in an encouraging tone to lead them forward.

This is a free service that we’re providing, so students are encouraged to use it as much as they need, whenever they need. Our teachers also have accounts and will be able to review all student activity to see what they’re working on and provide more targeted instruction as needed.

If you’d like to learn more about Paper you can sign up for a Paper hosted Parent Info Session, available in both English and Spanish.

To see Paper and the help it offers firsthand, we encourage you to login with your students. To get started, simply visit PAPER’s student login page, type your school’s name, and log in via Google using your school credentials

We’re thrilled to offer our students the unlimited, 24/7 support that Paper provides and we can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish together.

Your KMS PTO has a great end of year event planned for all students on Saturday, June 3! Visit our KMS PTO website for details. Walk-ins welcome.

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5